Atheists and Weapons

I was recently in Alaska doing some work. The crew that I was working with was the stereo-typical conservative god fearing crowd. Something struck me about them. They pack guns. On the job site there were guns. When they went fishing, there were guns (makes some sense since bears are common on the rivers). No matter what they were doing, there were guns. A thought occurred to me. Do atheists carry guns? I have four firearms, but only bought one of them because an uncle needed some bucks. The others were given to me as family gifts. The thought of bringing one never occurred to me. We don't have kids, so I really would have to think about the location of them all and the bullets for them. I just don't have an interest in guns. I'm not afraid of anything, so why would I care?

So the real question that occurred to me is, do any atheists carry firearms? I do know of one. The largess of those that pack in my life are religionists. What are you afraid of? Why do you pack? If we live in the "greatest country" as Americans, why do you have to pack heat? Once in my 36 years do I recall a use for a weapon, but it may have made the situation much worse. If in most countries people don't feel the need to pack, doesn't that refute the greatest country claim on it's face?

I have no judgement of those that want to pack. I defend that right as closely as the next. I'm not bothered by it. In the Czech Republic I was in a bar with three pistols on the table because we had just been target practicing. I enjoyed that true freedom that we don't have here. But does a transgression like stealing my wallet warrant death? Short of abuse of my child or wife, I don't know when I would pull the trigger. I'm quite capable of damage to anyone without my wrestling background. So why would I pack? If you are an atheist that packs, why is that, and can you justify it without fear? This is a new thought, so I'd love to hear all positions on it.

I guess not being white helps? Satan, whom I presume is not white, wrote earlier that I do not have the power to be a racist. Not sure what the means, though, other than everyone is probably a racist except him.

Just because your skin is 'darker' than that of your average European doesn't mean you are immune to racism either - really nothing makes you 100% immune to racism the closest thing to immunity is education and working together.

Ignoring the advice of a person on how to obtain equal rights just because they are from a majority group is plain stupid and so is alienating those people who support the cause of a minority group.

Jean Marie - I know you didn't give him any advice... I was responding to several statements made by him especially this one: "It is racist for any white person to tell oppressed people of color how to organize against and resist their oppression. That is paternalism."

Second, I'm a bit of a "gun nut." It's the only thing I have in common with the conservatives I know. As for what I'm afraid of that leads me to have all these guns around, I'll tell you. I'm afraid of all the crazy shit you hear about on the news that could've been prevented if someone had been armed. Now, I don't think a gang is going to break into my house and try to rape my wife and take our TV, but I don't want to be one of those naive people who thinks "it'll never happen to ME" and then it does. If someone forcibly enters my home, they have forfeited their life on the spot, no argument, no warning, bang, no problem. To put it simply, I'm afraid of being unprepared for the bad shit that might happen (but probably won't).

Despite being a "gun nut" I actually only own 1 gun and it was inherited. Guns are just too expensive and I'm too poor, lol. One of these days, I'll buy a semi-auto .45 or something. Maybe a couple of them. Unfortunately for anyone who breaks into my house, I collect swords and knives, so they might wanna hope I can get to the gun because getting a Katana through the gut is probably not a fun way to go (and I keep one next to my bed).

Not a violent person, either. I'm just pragmatic enough to know that there are violent people in the world who can't be dealt with by reason and logic. It's not that I'm afraid of them, but I'm afraid of not being ready for them if I ever need to be. Guns are for the time (which you hope will never come) when, if you didn't have one, you'd be thinking "Damnit, I wish I had a gun right now!"

The Zombie Apocalypse! Of course, that should be the number one reason for gun ownership for everyone.

But aside from that, the home invasion fear is mostly bogus.

First, you are far safer having a dog than a gun. Burglars do not like dogs and will likely avoid homes with them.

Second, you must always make sure of what your target is and what lies behind your target. In your home, loved ones are at risk of stray rounds or mistaken identity. (True story, my childhood dentist shot and killed his wife after thinking she was a burglar. I have never known anyone to stop a home invasion with a firearm, or ever suffer a home invasion.)

Third, you must be familiar with your gun and keep it maintained. Violent encounters in the home can happen very quickly and you fumbling with the safety or suffering a misfire or a jam can get you and your family killed.

Fourth, even at close range, hitting a moving target is HARD!!!! Even for trained police officers! Someone invading your home with the idea of killing you will not stand still for you. They probably won't stand still and even at a few yards, it can be very difficult to hit a moving target. Add a sleepy and scared homeowner and you have someone who probably couldn't hit the broadside of a barn.

You're right, home invasion ISN'T that common a thing. I can't speak for other parts of the country, but I know that here in the south I would never attempt to invade someone's home for the specific reason that everyone has a gun.

And the home invasion was just an example. Guns are something that most people will never ever need, but they can indeed come in handy when they ARE needed.

Remember the Virginia Tech shooting? If a student or teacher had been armed, that would've ended a lot faster and a lot differently. Think that's a crazy "gun nut" idea? Let's think back to another school shooting. Remember in the 80s when that guy climbed onto a water tower and started picking people off? He wasn't stopped by cops. He was stopped by an armed student who shot his stupid ass down.

Again, I must stress, that guns aren't for everyday use, lol. They're for the one-in-a-million chance that you MIGHT need them.

Remember the Virginia Tech shooting? If a student or teacher had been armed, that would've ended a lot faster and a lot differently.

We don't know that, so you can't just assert that.

Remember in the 80s when that guy climbed onto a water tower and started picking people off? He wasn't stopped by cops. He was stopped by an armed student who shot his stupid ass down.

No, I do not. I do know of the University of Texas Tower shooting in the 60's. Police took that man down. But even if your tower shooter was taken down by a civilian, that's what? One out of thousands of shooting sprees, hostage situations, et cetera where an armed civilian made a positive difference?

The point that I am stressing is that there are huge risks and responsibilities that a gun owner and gun carrier must take on every single day, one hundred percent all the time. Doing so for the purpose of preparing for a one in a million (and the odds for many scenarios are a lot higher than that) is not a good reason to carry.

You should all talk to Iggy. Certainly you have heard of him. He has organized several local atheist meetups, and was famous for posting so many comments at the Bill Tammeus Religion blog of the KC STAR...on the order of believers should SHUT UP CRAWL UNDER A ROCK AND DIE...that the commets were totally shut down.

Some of my pals then started posting at the KCFreeThought blog run by Greg the Aging Atheist and reduced it to incoherence.

And they got pissed. Go figure.

Anyway, he bragged about the guns he owned on more that one occassion..

Guns are bad, bad, surely weapons of the past generations have killed and mamed millions, in the name of religion. As freethinking people I thought we were trying to get away from this.
I would just like to know the reaction we would get from someone whose gun had accidentally killed their child.

If someone accidentally kills anyone, not just their child, they are morons/unstable and shouldn't have been allowed to carry weapons in the first place. But if you know how to handle a gun, you won't kill anyone by mistake.

I agree with the right to carry lethal weapons, but not for everyone. If you pass a well-thought psychological exam and a test of your skills with a weapon, then I have no problem with you carrying a registered gun. Criminals will get guns illegally whether it's legal or not to carry weapons. So I can't say people shouldn't be allowed to increase their and others' chances of surviving a meeting with a criminal. If there is a good regulation of fire arms, then the deaths caused by these will actually fall.

Of course, as I said earlier, giving the right to carry arms to everyone is ridiculous.

But if you know how to handle a gun, you won't kill anyone by mistake.

Hehe. I was peppered with stories of the idiots that attended the mandatory CCW class (required to get your carry license). Basically, half of every class I heard about were morons that should not be around firearms, yet passed anyway.

Then, I had my class. Yep. One guy bragged about pulling a gun on someone who already had a gun trained on him, then later worried that he was wasting his time in the class because of an expired restraining order (anyone that has an active restraining order cannot get the license).

Another guy loaded the range officers revolver with the wrong ammunition. And yes, fired the gun. They had a lot of trouble getting the shell casing out.

Even the range officer teaching the class said it was a big waste of time because any idiot could get a license to carry. He was in favor of more stringent laws and after experiencing the class and seeing who else would carry a gun on the streets, I wholeheartedly agree.

Place 15 out of 20 shots on the paper (not even inside the target area) with revolver and a semi and you are good to go. Seriously. A blind man could accomplish this and that is no exaggeration.

Everyone passed their test. Only a small few seemed competent to handle firearms in a non-combative situation. I doubt anyone there for their license, myself included, had any of training necessary to bring a firearm into a dangerous situation.